McDonald's August Comps Up

McDonald's announced that August comparable sales for Brand McDonald's increased 3.8% in constant currencies, compared with a 2.0% decline in August 2002.

Jim Cantalupo, McDonald's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said in a statement, "We continue to make progress on our Plan to Win, which is all about attracting new customers, encouraging existing customers to visit more often, creating brand loyalty and doing all this more profitably. In the U.S., we're becoming more relevant to more customers by offering better tasting food, more convenient hours, enhanced service and -- as always -- good value. As a result, more customers in the U.S. are visiting us more often with comparable sales up 8.8% in August, our fifth consecutive month of positive comparable sales. In Europe, branded affordability and menu initiatives helped improve comparable sales, which increased 1.0% in August. Positive performance in several markets including France and Germany contributed to these results."

"In addition to the progress we have made in our operations, we are also working to reassert our marketing leadership," Cantalupo said. "Just last week we launched our new global brand theme -- 'i'm lovin' it (TM)' -- featuring music by popular recording star Justin Timberlake and other outstanding talent. We are excited about our new global brand creative approach, which leverages our worldwide marketing resources and demonstrates the focus and discipline we are applying to managing our overall business."